Good morning,
Today I'll discuss the sixty-sixth issue of Marvel's The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The cover depicted Shang locked in combat with the warrior known as Kogar. The story was named "Two Rivers." The issue had a cover date of July 1978.
The action began at Juliette's safe house in Hong Kong, where she and Shang-Chi. Juliette's employer, Kogar, had just arrived with his crew to collect the crates that she hadn't delivered to their appointed destination. Among Kogar's crew was Shang's friend Black Jack Tarr, who was working under the guise of Black Jack Blue.
Tarr accidentally let it slip that he knew Shang-Chi. This accident didn't go unnoticed by Kogar. He then noticed the unconscious Pavane, who was allied with his former associate Shen Kuei. Kogar asked Juliette and Shang what had happened to his cargo, but received no response.
Kogar then asked Black Jack how he knew Shang-Chi. Tarr explained that they had both worked jobs as mercenaries together. He went on to say that Shang was a good man, to which Kogar replied that he had no issue with engaging in combat with the "good man." Shang-Chi didn't want to fight, but was prepared to defend Juliette.
During the tussle, Kogar exchanged implements on the strange device on his left wrist. The cutting blade was soon replaced by an explosive drill bit. Shang-Chi evaded its bursts of power as he continued to fight. Minutes later, Shang-Chi and Juliette escaped after several members of her crew arrived to intervene.
Juliette and Shang-Chi fled by boat and were soon followed by Kogar and his men. Their disappearances were noticed on land by Kuei and his lackey, the Skullcrusher. The duo reached the safehouse and found Pavane still lying on the floor unconscious. Kuei swore that whoever knocked her out would pay for that act.
While Shang-Chi and Juliette were trying to outdistance their foes, Clive Reston and Melissa Greville were still on the run from the phony Hong Kong police. The pair was on their way to the local MI-6 office.
Back at the safe house, Kuei located the crate that Shang was about to open (in the previous issue). Its contents appeared to be nothing more than bricks of hashish. However, Kuei explained to the now conscious Pavane that it was also far more than that.
When Juliette's boat reached a fork in the river, Shang-Chi threw one of the crates at the right fork, hoping to distract Kogar and his crew while they took the left fork. However, Kogar wasn't easily fooled. His boat went to recover the crate, while his subordinates' boat went down the left fork.
Juliette's boat eventually reached a quiet lagoon. There, Juliette stated that they should wait until they were sure they'd lost Kogar and his men before heading back to the safe house. thinking that would be the last place the villains would look for them. She then explained to Shang what had happened between her and Kuei since their last meeting.
Juliette had stabbed herself with a knife, after which Kuei had rushed to her side to help his love. Knowing that Kuei was involved in illegal activities made her decision to work for Kogar a bit easier. That choice was aided by Kuei's replacing her with Pavane.
As Juliette reached her hand out to Shang-Chi to perhaps rekindle the spark from their initial meeting, Leiko Wu was being briefed at the Hong Kong MI-6 office about Kuei, Juliette, Pavane, and Kogar. She remembered her first fight with Pavane, back when she was employed by the late madman named Mordillo. The agent who'd shared those dossiers went on to explain Kogar's dealings and the facts that not having authority or territorial rights had prevented them from finding the criminal. He suggested that a single operative might be able to accomplish the task.
Wu had left for the Black Rivers to explore the lead on her own by the time Reston and Greville arrived at the same MI-6 office in Hong Kong. Leiko reached the lagoon and was met with an unexpected surprise. Unfortunately, what she saw wouldn't be revealed until the next issue.
At dawn, Juliette and Shang woke up. Both Shang and Kuei were examining the crate cargo at different locations. Kuei admitted to Pavane that each block of hashish contained a microdot. Each microdot was a piece of a much larger puzzle. Pavane was determined to find the rest of the crates. Unbeknownst to them, part of Kogar's crew had floated silently next to Juliette's boat to claim their cargo for themselves.
This was another interesting James Bond kind of story. The microdots were clearly borrowed from other spy thrillers of the era, and it was nice to see how the different plot lines were slowly starting to weave together. This was Jim Craig's last issue of Master of Kung Fu, and I liked how he worked with Mike Zeck on embellishing Doug Moench's story.
Well, that's all for this morning. Next up is the sixty-seventh issue of Master of Kung Fu. We'll learn who recovered part of the cargo, and what they intend to do with the crates. We'll also see what Wu discovered, as former MI-6 operatives unite against Kogar...or do they? Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.
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